BOSTON — The lawyer for a Boston-area man arrested in an investigation of the botched Times Square car bombing says federal authorities don't believe his client is tied to the case.

Attorney Saher Macarius spoke Tuesday after a Boston immigration court judge allowed his client, Pir D. Khan, to remain free on bail as he fights deportation. Macarius said the government wouldn't release Khan if it believed he had a role in the May 1 bombing attempt in New York.

Khan was arrested on immigration charges in May, and released last month.

When he was arrested, authorities said Khan and two other men might have handled informal money transfers for Faisal Shahzad of Connecticut, who has pleaded guilty in the bombing attempt.

Macarius said Khan has lived a positive life since arriving illegally from Pakistan in 1991.